Grater support



May 25, 1954 Filed May 10, 1949 E. N. MAY

GRATER SUPPORT Z' t; 9. 2 I

I I 1' I I 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRATER SUPPORT Edward N. May, Washington, D. 0. Application May 10, 1949, Serial No. 92,351

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an article adapted to support firmly, in operating position, the conventional food grater such as is used for the purpose of grating cheese, the skin of citrus fruits, etc.

As is well known, the conventional food grater is a flat member comprising a wire frame on which is mounted a piece of sheet metal formed with outstruck perforations, said frame having at its upper end a handle whereby the user may hold the grater erect upon a table top or the like, with one hand while rubbing, with the other hand, the food to be grated against the perforated surface.

It is very difficult to hold a grater of the type stated steady, and too often the lower end of the grater will slip upon the table top or other work surface, scattering the grated food, skinning the users knuckles, and otherwise presenting a decided inconvenience. Additionally, even while the grater is being held erect, considerable effort is expended in holding it in its operating position, and even then, the grater will wobble so that full grating efficiency is not obtained.

It is an important object of the present invention, accordingly, to provide a support for a grater of the type stated, which support will eliminate all the inconveniences and defects stated above, the support being particularly adapted, by reason of a novel construction, to support the grater in a predetermined position determined to be most efiicient for grating operations, said support being further adapted to hold the grater in a manner which eliminates completely the possibility of the grater slipping, wobbling, or scattering the grated food.

Another important object is to provide a grater support of the type stated which will be durable, the support embodying a minimum of parts simply arranged, in a manner to permit manufacture of the support at low cost.

Another important object is to provide a support of the type stated which will be highly sanitary, the support being so designed as to eliminate almost entirely the possibility of food wedging in crevices or corners.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts, hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a grater support constructed in accordance with the invention, a grater and table top with which the support is associated being shown fragmentarily.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, the grater being removed.

Referring to the drawings in detail, for the purpose. of illustrating the use to which the grater support is put, I have shown fragmentarily a table top T and grater G, neither of which represents any part of the present invention. The present invention has reference to a support for supporting the grater G upon the table top T, and in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, said support includes a body generally designated 5 and formed from a suitable blank, substantially rectangular in shape, of sheet metal material such as aluminum, stainless steel, or the like. In this connection, it should be pointed out that although in the present embodiment of the invention I have illustrated the support as being fabricated from a sheet of metal material, it will be apparent from the description to be provided hereinafter that the construction can as well utilize other material, whether in the form of a sheet or in the form of a frame. For example, I believe it is well within the spirit of the invention to utilize a wire frame of skeleton construction in place of the sheet metal body 5, as long as said wire frame were formed to the shape of the body so as to be supported at approximately the same points, as to provide points of support for a grater the same as provided on the sheet metal body 5 illustrated as the present preferred example of the invention. 7 r

In any event, the body 5 can readily form a single piece of suitable material shaped to provide an inclined front wall 6 integral with an inclined rear wall I, said front and rear walls 6 and l converging upwardly to meet at their upper ends, thus to provide a transversely extended ridge 8 disposed below and transversely of the medial portion of a grater G to be supported.

As may be readily noted from Fig. 1, the rear wall 1 is inclined somewhat more steeply than the front wall 6, but preferably is of a length corresponding to the length of said front wall. At its lower end, the rear wall 1 preferably is formed integrally with a flanged lower edge 9 so as to provide a rounded surface which will not scar a table top.

At its front or lower end, the inclined front wall 6 merges into a short horizontal portion l0 3 the front end of which is integral with an upturned rearwardly curved lip or flange ll.

Disposed under the horizontal portion I is the rubber suction cup l2, secured to said horizontal portion by fastening means l3.

On any smooth work surface '1, the rubber suction cup I2 will hold the entire device and grater supported thereby against shifting on said work surface. Where, however, the work surface is rough .or is .of a material which will prevent the rubber suction cup 12 from taking hold of said surface, supplemental holding means is employed to keep the article from its normal tendency to shift to the left in Fig. 1. In the present instance, this means comprises a strap id of sheet metal material having at its front end the upturned lip or abutment l5 behind whichengages the lower edge 9 of the rear wall I, said strap I4 having at its rear end the clamping flange l6 adapted to grip the edge of the table top T.

It will be understood that the means; I4 is not necessary except in situations where the rubber suction cup l 2. will not be held to the work surface with full suctiontdue to said surface being irregular, scored, or being of a material which will not hold the cup.

Additionally, Ibelieve that under some conditions, .other means can-belemployed for holding the article against shifting upon the work surface, rather than the suction cup i2 or holding means 14. Such means, for example, can embody conventionaLscrew. .clamps, wall brackets, or the like.

In use of the device, agrater G issupported thereon as illustrated-in Fig. 1, the lower end of the grater, which normally would be in contact with the table top T, being supported within the upturned lip l l, therearwardly curved formation of said lip preventing upward swinging of the lower endof the grater, soas to hold the grater -in-proper position upon the support.

-When thegrater is so positioned, it will be supported',-between its center and lower end, upon theridge 8,-with said grater being supported in the present instance at anangle of approximately 45'deg-rees more or less relative to the table top T. Assuming that the body-5 hasbeen secured against movement-relative to the table top 'I- by means'of the rubber suction cup l2 and/or the holding ;means- M,- the article is 'readyfor use and the user simply grasps theupper end of the grater with one hand while rubbing the food to be grated upon the inclined grater surface with the other hand.

Considering Figpl it will-be noted that the tendency during the grating operation-will be to exert a vertical downward pressure upon the medial portion of the grater disposed to the right of the ridge- 8. In th-is connection, there will be certain resiliency in the rear wall I, so that said downward pressure will bechanged in direction so as to be exerted rearwardly or to the right in*-Fig.--1, that is, toward'the user of the grater. This is so-because the front end of the grater is held against any movement.

There is an advantage in this characteristic of the-device in that the rearward yielding of the rear wall 1 during the grating operation relieves or lessens'the upward pull of the grater upon the front end of thesupport, thus to reduce the possibilityofloss ofsuction on the part ofthe cup I2.

111 is to be further. noted that the-construction is suchthatl-during theiuse. of the device, the

grater G is disposed at a lesser angle from the horizontal than the angle from the horizontal assumed by the front wall 6. This is by reason of the fact that the front wall 6 is integral at its lower or front end with a forwardly extending horizontal portion [0, which in turn is integral at its front end with the rearwardly curved lip ll. By reason of this arrangement, when one exerts the usual downward and forward pressure upon the grater, which pressure inevitably occurs when one grips the grater at its upper end and with the other hand reciprocates an article of food to be grated upwardly and downwardly on the grater, the front end of the grater slides forwardly to engage under the lip ll. The difference in angles of the grater and front wall necessarily resultapasa result of which the grater is in contact with the device at only two points. One of these is at the point of contact between the grater and ridge 8. The other is at the point of contact between the front-end of the grater and the, interior surface of the lipl I. Grated particles of ,food arethus permitted to move through the perforations of the grater freely at any point from end to end of the perforated web of the grater, with thesingleexceptiomof course, ofany perforations ,which might be disposed along the line of contact between the grater and pointed ridge 8. Theseof course would obviously be so few as to interferevery little, if-at all, with the dropping of the food particles through the perforations of the grater. .Grated particlesare still free to drop through perforations both rearwardly of the ridge 3 and forwardly thereof. With reference to the dropping; of particles through the graterforwardly of; the ridge 8, this is permitted because the difference inanglesbetween the grater and front wall 6 defines an open space between the frontwall and the forward portion of the grater. This .open space results from the fact that the grater is in contact, along the ridge 8, with rear or upper edge .of the frontewall, .but is elevatedabove the frontwall forwardly of the ridge 3, due to the fact that the engagement-between the front end of the grater and the retaining lip Ii will beat a point spaced a substantial distance forwardly of. the'front-orlower end of the' front wall 5, and in a plane elevatedrabove said front or lower end of the front wall.

What is claimed is:

1. A grater support comprising-'an-elongated body of transversely V-shaped cross section having legs which lie at an acute angle and are substantially of equal length, an extension carried by one of the legs and extending outwardly therefrom at an obtuse angle with relation thereto, a lip on said extension remote from said body and curving laterally from said extension to project toward the apex of the body whereby toengage the lower edge of a grater and together with the apex of the body hold the grater in an upwardly inclined position relative to ,a' horizontal supporting surface and inter-engagin astening means on the legsof the body and the supporting surface for anchoring saidbody on the supportingsurface upon application of ,a downward force'onsaid grater.

2- A rate sup ort omp ing a elongated body of transversely veshaped cross section-having legs which lie at; an acute angle and are of substantially equal length, an extension carried by one'of the legs and extending outwardly there.- from; at an obtuse angle with relation thereto,..a lip on said extension remote from saidbodyaand 5 6 curving laterally from said extension to project toward the apex of the body whereby to engage References Cited 1n the file of this patent the lower edge of a grater and together with the UNITED STATES PATENTS apex of the body hold the grater in an upwardly Y inclined position relative to a horizontal support- 5 N m Date ing surface and inter-engaging fastening means 1,439,351 A1511) et 1922 on the extension, the other leg of said body and 1,812,313 BWer June 30, 1931 the supporting surface for anchoring said body on 24033185 Meyer 281 1937 the supporting surface upon application of the 2193991 Treaqy 1940 downward force on said graten 10 2,222,665 Hoemgsberg Nov. 26, 1940 

